Charter schools are moving us forward

We're not turning back

We need your voice – Charters Work!

On October 15, this petition was delivered to the NAACP with more than 3,000 signatures from parents across the country.

On October 15, the NAACP Board of Directors ratified a resolution calling for a moratorium on new charter public schools in our country. Charter schools are incredibly popular among Black families who have been historically underserved by our nation’s traditional public schools. This vote sends message that what Black parents want doesn’t matter. Now, more than ever, we need you to add your name in support of the charter schools that our working for our children.

Thanks for signing the letter

Our letter to the NAACP

What parents have to say to the NAACP

As Black parents with children in charter schools and on charter school wait lists, we are writing to ask you to rethink the NAACP’s recent resolution calling for a moratorium on charter schools.

The NAACP is an organization to which we are deeply rooted and for which we have tremendous respect. Our grandparents fought with the NAACP for civil rights, and our children benefit from these efforts today. And we stand with the NAACP in its
continued commitment to protect voting rights and oppose police violence.

But we recently learned about the NAACP’s resolution calling for a moratorium on the growth of charter schools, and believe it is simply wrong. It does not represent our voices, or that of the communities where we live. From Seattle, to Oklahoma
City, to Houston, New York, and New Jersey, we see charter schools offering parents of color hope that their children can have a better future.

Our support for charter schools is not abstract, but instead based on our personal experience.

Our children are thriving in charter schools. Their charter schools are unique, but they all offer environments that focus on learning, are staffed by teachers from our communities, and ensure classrooms based on respect and dignity.

Some of our children want to attend a charter school, but cannot. That’s because, like thousands of deserving kids, they are waitlisted. And the moratorium would make it even harder for students of color to get a spot in a quality charter school.

We understand that charter schools—like other public schools—are not perfect, but we know firsthand that many charter schools are giving our children opportunities that they wouldn’t have otherwise. We don’t care about labels when it comes to
public schools, we only see schools where our children succeed and others where our children struggle. We can’t afford to turn our backs on any schools where our children are beating the odds.

We urge you to hear our voices as parents and vote against this resolution. And if you need more evidence, visit a charter school and see for yourselves how charter schools are serving children of color. Our kids are counting on you.